Australian Jarmila Gajdosova continued her recent return to form with an impressive straight sets win over world No.16 Flavia Pennetta at the Wuhan Open - but Samantha Stosur's season hit a new low.
For the second successive tournament, and the seventh time this season, Stosur was knocked out in the first round - this time by Czech Karolina Pliskova, who triumphed 6-4 6-4.
It followed a similarly disappointing loss at the Guangzhou International Women's Open last week, where she was eliminated by local qualifier, and world No.251, Yafan Wang.
But things are looking much brighter for her compatriots Gajdosova and Casey Dellacqua, who also enjoyed a first up win in Wuhan and looks certain to usurp Stosur as the top-ranked female by the time the Australian Open rolls around in January.
Meanwhile, after slipping outside the world's top 300 earlier in the year, Gajdosova has worked her way back to No.79 with some strong results, particularly on the secondary tour.
But that has continued into bigger events, the former world No.25 reaching the quarter-finals in Hong Kong a fortnight ago before stepping up in the opening match of the $2.4 million China tournament.
Gajdosova comfortably accounted for the Italian 6-1 6-4.
Dellacqua also enjoyed an opening round victory over another Italian, Roberta Vinci 7-5 7-5.
In other matches world No.6 Agnieszka Radwanska was booted out of the tournament by Caroline Garcia of France in a hard-fought three-set battle.
Radwanska was looking to book her place in the end of season championships in Singapore with a strong showing in Wuhan, but was defeated by a stunning fightback from Garcia, who was a set down in the second-round match.
Garcia, who had sent Venus Williams crashing out in the first round, took the second and third sets at the tie-break in her two hour and 42 minute duel with Radwanska.
Radwanska's defeat dashed her hopes of claiming a place in next month's WTA Championships.
The 25-year-old could have made the season finale, which will feature the top eight women's players, with an appearance in Saturday's final.
Meanwhile, Alize Cornet of France set up a meeting with world No.1 Serena Williams in the second round following her two-set victory over Romina Oprandi of Switzerland in her first match on Monday.
Cornet, who arrived in Wuhan with her confidence high after reaching the final at the WTA Guangzhou Open on Saturday, took the game with ease at 6-2 6-1.
She has already beaten Williams twice this year, handing the American power-hitter her earliest defeat at Wimbledon for nine years in June, and also winning at Dubai in February.
Elsewhere in Wuhan, doubles specialist Sara Errani beat British rising hope Heather Watson 7-5 6-4 in their opening singles match.
The Italian will face Alison Riske of the US at the next stage.
Germany's Sabine Lisicki defeated Czech world No.15 Lucie Safarova in three sets, 7-5 2-6 6-3, while tenth seed Jelena Jankovic beat Christina McHale of the USA 6-4 6-4 in their first-round match.
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